Langui Kamei and Martha Kamsuan were hesitant when they tried finger millet in their Kitchen Garden in the year 2016 but the results were more than what they expected. The two courageous women farmers were encouraged to cultivate the finger millet in a small scale but this time too finger millet did not disappoint them, and they have harvested a good crop. This year too they have envisioned to cultivate finger millet in a large scale.

Millets are not new to Nagaland, it was part of its history. Blended with a diverse range of nutrient-rich value, the crop is indeed a keystone crop which survives through climate variations. It is one of the most important cereals crop grown in Nagaland. Traditionally millets were commonly known for brewing and are an integral part of community diet. Millets have long been cultivated in the hilly terrain of the Eastern part of Nagaland. It has been part of the staple diet of the people. And in recent times, the value of millets has increased to a large extent. Millets increase soil fertility, consume less water and have high nutritional values. They were also particularly known to be insurance during natural calamities like food scarcity and climate change. However, the crop was not grown much in the foothill and plain in Nagaland so far.

The initiative of empowering community action to revive traditional socio-economic, governance and health systems towards greater self-reliance of communities stared in 2016 by Caritas India through FARM North East programme.  In 2017, a traditional seeds conservation training was conducted at old jalukie upper village of Peren district by Development Association of Nagaland (DAN) under FARM NE II programme which has changed the whole outlook of farmers. Langui Kamei and Martha Kamsuan attended this training from Samziuram village, one of the target villages of the FARM NE-II project located in Jalukie circle of Peren district with a population of 3909.

FARM NE II project staffs now are gradually mobilizing farmers to strengthen their knowledge to promote finger millets in the region. Focused group discussion is being conducted with interested farmers to promote finger millet at large scale in Jalukie region to achieve the vision of promoting traditional farming.

By June 2019, more than 6 farmers from Samziuram are likely to initiate finger millet cultivation in large scale for both consumption and economic growth. The Development Association of Nagaland further initiative is to encourage finger millets cultivation in other project villages under Peren district.